Family Reunion
by ManateeMama
Summary: Brenda must deal with two unpleasant men: a murder victim and her ex-husband.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: A loving, supportive family has always been the goal. But life is not a Norman Rockwell painting and reality rarely measures up to our ideal.**

Major Crimes was enjoying a rare, relaxed lunch together. The talk soon turned to family, which reminded Lt. Tao of something. "Chief, my wife and I want to take our son surfing in Hawaii. When do we need to get our vacation requests in?" he asked while everyone was eating the tacos that Sanchez and Buzz had brought back from a food truck down the street.

"Chief Pope hasn't given me a deadline yet, but the Fourth of July is comin up so if you have plans, get it in soon because he'll be askin me for a schedule," Brenda replied.

As if on cue, Brenda's phone rang so she put down the rest of her taco and licked the sauce from her fingers as she walked back into her office. Sure enough, her caller ID showed that it was Will.

"Yes, Will. What can I do for you?"

"Brenda, there's been a murder. Bart Wellman."

"I've heard that name. Who is he?"

"A slip-and-fall attorney."

"Oh, the guy who wears a cowboy hat and rides a horse?"

"That's the one. His body was found behind one of his horse barns this morning. So, I need you and your squad to get out there. Oh, and wear your boots. He was found buried in a pile of horse manure."

"Lovely. I'm soooo glad we're all eatin lunch right now," she said sarcastically. "All right, we're on our way."

When they pulled into the Wellman ranch Brenda, looking at the expanse of horse barns and paddocks, said, "He certainly loved horses, didn't he?" Exiting the car she was hit by the early heat wave and high humidity.

They were met by a profusely perspiring Det. Carl from the Topanga Division who briefed Brenda. "It looks like Wellman was buried alive in a manure pile behind the barn, although the coroner's assistant is just now starting his examination. We had to dig him out of the shit so Kendall could get to him."

"Buried alive? In a manure pile?" Provenza let out a low whistle. "I'd say someone was trying to make a statement."

"It looks that way, Lieutenant. When we got here, one arm was sticking out of the manure and it looked like he was trying to lift his head up too."

"Who found the body?" Brenda asked while wrinkling her nose at the mental image.

"A friend of his from back east. He said he was coming to visit and that the housekeeper had told him that Mr. Wellman was probably exercising the horses."

"All right. Detective Flynn, would you please find this friend and take him downtown and get his statement and hold him there for me? I'm gonna have a look at the victim. Lieutenant Tao, please gather up the computers and cell phones. And would someone find out about our victim's family? Thank you, gentlemen." And Brenda walked around to the side of the barn where Kendall was examining the body.

"Kendall, do you have a time of death?" she asked while swatting at the flies circling her head.

"It's hard to tell. The grave was shallow, but the manure was fresh and the warmth kept his body temp up. It probably delayed the onset of rigor mortis. But it has begun to set in. It's only an estimate, but I'd say he died between 6:00 PM last night and 6:00 AM this morning."

"That's an awfully wide time frame, Kendall. Will you be able to narrow it down?"

"The coroner might be able to narrow it somewhat but it's going to be difficult, given the circumstances."

"Do you have a preliminary cause of death?"

"Probably suffocation since it looks like he was buried alive. I don't see any gunshot wounds but he sustained a blow to the back of the head. It doesn't look like it was hard enough to kill him, though."

"Thank you, Kendall. Buzz, please document not only the body, but the site where he was found. And, Detective Sanchez, please get the housekeeper's statement. I'm gonna go back to the office and see what our witness has to say."

"Yes, ma'am." Buzz wrinkled his nose and swatted at flies. "I think I need another job," he said disgustedly.

"Believe me, I'm thinkin the same thang," Brenda said as she turned to leave.

"Chief, before you leave, you might want to see this," Gabriel said while standing in the barn's doorway. Brenda followed him inside where Gabriel pointed to a pool of blood soaked into the straw and some drag marks leading to the barn's rear door.

"So this is probably where he sustained that blow to the back of his head and then was dragged out to that manure pile. Please ask Buzz to document this as well, Sargent. Thank you," she said as she walked to the rear door and looked at the drag marks leading to the manure pile.

When they arrived back at the station Lieutenant Flynn said with a smile, "Chief, our witness is a securities broker and he's from Atlanta so you might be able to communicate with him in his native tongue."

Brenda shot him a mildly annoyed look and asked, "In that case, I'm assumin you found a translator? May I read his statement, please?"

"Sure," and he handed the handwritten statement to her.

Brenda immediately recognized the handwriting and hurriedly turned the page to confirm the signature: Edward Harper.

Flynn saw her shocked expression and asked, "Is something wrong, Chief?"

Brenda ignored his question and turned to Gabriel, "Sargent, may I see you in my office, please?" Once inside her office with the door closed, Brenda said "Sargent, I'd like you to interview the witness."

This departure from routine puzzled Gabriel. "Sure, Chief. But can you tell me why?"

"Because I don't think I'd get very far with him. Mr. Harper is my ex-husband."

Gabriel was surprised but just nodded and walked toward the door.

"Sargent, please don't mention me durin your interview. Thank you," Brenda said.

Again, Gabriel nodded and walked into the Interview Room.

_It's definitely him,_ Brenda thought as she and the rest of the squad watched the monitor from the Electronics Room.

She heard Ed state that he had recently been appointed the CEO of his hedge fund company and was in the process of transferring all of his clients to other associates.

When Gabriel asked him why he couldn't do that with a telephone call instead of a visit to Los Angeles, Ed replied, "Bart and I are... were... friends and he had invited me to come to Los Angeles on vacation. We had planned to attend one of his horse shows and then tour the best golf courses on the west coast."

"Are you involved with horses too, Mr. Harper?"

"Not at all. I was just gonna attend a show with Bart," Ed explained.

"You played golf together?"

"Are these questions necessary? I don't see the relevance and you're wastin my time," Ed said.

"If you'll just answer the questions we'll be done more quickly, sir. Did you play golf with Mr. Wellman?"

"Yes, whenever we got together, which wasn't often, given that he moved to Los Angeles about four years ago."

"Where did he live before that?"

"He lived in Nevada for a time and had his law practice in both states. Do you think one of his clients could have killed him?" Ed asked.

"He had a pretty successful practice. Why would one of his clients kill him?" Gabriel replied.

"I don't know. Maybe someone didn't win as much money as he wanted? Or maybe it was someone he sued? I don't think I should have to solve this murder for you."

As Gabriel chuckled and asked how he had met Mr. Wellman, Brenda thought, _He's still the same old arrogant SOB._

The rest of the interview consisted of Ed saying that they had been friends for about five years and that he knew nothing about any disgruntled clients, Wellman's other friends, or his lawsuits, and that when he had discovered the body he immediately called 911 on his cell phone. Before letting him go, Gabriel told him that he shouldn't plan on leaving LA and that the LAPD was going to check his golf clubs.

"You mean you're gonna take them? Why?" Ed was obviously more upset at losing his golf clubs than he was at losing his friend.

"Yes, we're going to check them to see if any of them could have been the murder weapon."

"You can't do that. I need those clubs."

"Yes, sir, we can. I'm sorry for any inconvenience."

"How long will it take?" Ed was angry.

"A few days."

"Some thangs never change," Brenda slipped and spoke out loud. Buzz looked up at her but she didn't acknowledge him and he didn't ask any questions.

But Flynn did. "Chief, do you know this jerk?"

Brenda saw her squad's questioning expressions and, realizing that they were eventually going to find out the truth, she sighed and said, "Yes, Lieutenant. He's my ex-husband."

They all looked at her in surprise but she said nothing further. She just turned back to the monitor and Provenza's warning look and raised finger let Flynn know that the subject was closed.

While Gabriel was eliciting Ed's alibi that he had been in his hotel's bar all last night, Tao broke the silence. "Chief, SID discovered a shovel covered with manure and some blood buried in straw inside one of the barn's stalls. They're testing it to see if it's Wellman's blood."

"Thank you, Lieutenant Tao. To be safe, make sure SID tests Mr. Harper's golf clubs too, please. And would you please obtain a photo so we can take it to the bartender and confirm his alibi? Detective Flynn, please get that photograph and pay a visit to Mr. Harper's hotel. And, Detective Sanchez, please roll his prints. Thank you."

Brenda then retreated to her office. "I wonder how long I can prevent him from discoverin that I'm here," she said to herself as she closed the blinds.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her ringing phone. It was Fritz.

"Hi, Fritzi. What's up?"

"I understand that Bart Wellman has been murdered."

"That's right. I just got the case this afternoon. Why?"

"We have a flag on him."

"How come?"

"A few of his clients in both California and Nevada have complained that they were cheated on the settlements of their lawsuits. I'm on my way over to your office now."

"Ok, but please come up the back way."

"Why?"

"Just come up the back way, please," Brenda replied in an aggravated tone.

"Ok. But I should probably tell you that everyone in your squad knows me and I suspect that at least one or two of them know we're married," Fritz teased.

"Just... Oh, nevermind," Brenda said as she hung up the phone.

"Ok. See you in a few minutes," Fritz heard the line go dead before he finished his sentence.

Fritz saw that Brenda's blinds were drawn so he knocked on the door and was surprised to hear the lock click.

"Come on in," she said as she opened the door for him.

"What's going on? Why have you barricaded yourself in your office?"

"Because there's a witness I don't want to see. And I'm not barricaded."

"Who? Why not?" Fritz was wondering if obtaining useful information was going to require an expert interrogator.

"He's my ex-husband and I don't want to see him. And I certainly don't want him to see me," she explained.

"Ed Harper is here? What's he doing in Los Angeles?"

"He says that Bart Wellman was a friend of his and that they had planned a golfin vacation together."

"Do you believe him?"

"I don't know. I learned a long time ago that everythin Ed Harper says needs to be subject to verification, but I don't know of any motive he'd have. We'll see." Then, changing the subject she asked, "What can you tell me about those clients of Wellman's?"

"All five of them tell pretty much the same story. Wellman negotiated a large settlement for each of them. But the checks were slow to arrive. And when they did arrive they were a lot less than they should have been. And the client who initiated the complaint said she never did get her check, even though the trucking company said that they had paid the settlement. And another client had to threaten to go to the bar association to get his money."

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised. Those ads always seemed a little too slick to me."

"I agree. But, tell me. Didn't you interview your ex-husband?"

"No. I just told you. I don't want him to know I'm in the office so I had Sargent Gabriel do it."

"Are you afraid of him?" Fritz was wondering if he should be concerned for his wife's safety.

"No. I just don't want any unpleasantness, especially in front of my squad."

Tao knocked on the door. When he entered he said, "Chief, since he doesn't have a California driver's license I went onto his company's website to see if I could get a picture of him. And guess what? He's not the CEO. He's listed on their web page as a Senior Securities Analyst. So I called the company and they confirmed that his job title is still Senior Securities Analyst. No promotion. So, he's lying about that aspect of his story."

_Why am I not surprised? _Brenda thought. But she just said, "Thank you, Lieutenant Tao. We might have to ask him about that discrepancy. Were you able to get a picture of him?"

"The picture on the website was too low res. I tried to bump it up but..."

"Lieutenant Tao, did you find a useable picture or not?" Brenda was exasperated.

"I'm waiting for one to be faxed from Georgia's DMV."

"What about Bart Wellman's family? Were we able to contact anyone?"

"Not yet. Sanchez said the housekeeper said that he was married, no children. And the wife, Sylvia Wellman, and her assistant left two days ago for some horse shows near Phoenix. We've asked the locals to find her."

After Tao left, Fritz asked, "Do you think Harper might have done it?"

"Oh, I doubt it. He's definitely a braggart and a liar but I don't think he's a killer. I'm not eliminatin him as a suspect just yet, though. But, tell me. If you have a flag on Wellman are we gonna be able to check his finances?"

"Probably not. Everything is frozen."

"Ooh! I just hate it when you do that to my cases," Brenda's frustration was spilling out.

"You didn't have a case when the Bureau did that," Fritz said wearily. He was tired of the same old argument whenever they shared cases. "Come on. I'm hungry. Let's go home."

When they were in Fritz's car Brenda asked, "Will you at least give me the names of the people who feel they weren't paid correctly?"

"They're not all in California. Two of them are in Nevada."

"Well, the California ones, then."

"One is in San Francisco."

"All right. The Los Angeles ones, then. Look, Fritz. I need the addresses and phone numbers for all of them." Brenda was really annoyed. "I may need to interview them."

"As long as I can interview them with you," Fritz said.

"Fine. As long as I take the lead," Brenda said in a challenging tone.

"Fine. As long as you don't lie." Fritz's tone matched hers.

* * *

As Fritz unlocked the door they heard the phone ringing. Brenda hurried inside to answer it. "Hi, Mama. How are you? That's good. We're both fine too. A visit? That would be wonderful." Brenda's tone gave the lie to what she was saying. "Well, that's not true, Mama. Both you and Daddy have been here since we were married. You brought Charlie out here. And Daddy came and picked her up, remember?"

Fritz was busy putting their take out cartons on the table. He turned toward Brenda. Since it looked like he was about to speak, Brenda shushed him."

She shook her head no and turned back to the phone. "It's been almost a year? Really? Are you sure? Well, when do you want to come? Oh, Mama, I don't know if we can both get the Fourth off from work. Besides, you don't really want to drive that RV across country in this heat, do you?"

Fritz could tell she was losing the battle so he just smiled.

Brenda rolled her eyes, "Well, all right, Mama. But it'll have to be sometime in August. Cause we're both workin. There are two schedules to work around now. Ok. You talk it over with Daddy. I love you, too. Bye." She hung up the phone and then said, "There go our vacation plans."

"We were only going for a long weekend. We can still do it. When they come you take care of your parents for half the time and I'll do it the other half," Fritz said.

Brenda didn't reply. She just sat down at the table. As they ate, Fritz brought up the case again. "Brenda, I might need to interview Ed Harper."

She put down her fork. "What on earth for?" Suddenly her dinner had lost its appeal.

"He handled Wellman's investments. I need to check out whether or not there was securities fraud involved."

"Oh, right. Well, ok, but don't tell him anythin about me. Don't let him draw you into a fight. And, for heaven's sake, don't tell him that you're my husband."

"I wish you weren't in hiding. How can you conduct a murder investigation from a crouching position?"

"I'm not hidin and I'm not crouchin. I just don't want him to become antagonistic. We'll all get a lot farther if I step back," Brenda said defensively.

"Ok. But how long do you think it will be before he finds you?"

"I don't know. But, believe me, the longer we have the easier it will be."

* * *

The next morning, Ed Harper returned to the LAPD. He was intercepted in the hallway outside the Murder Room by Com. Taylor. "May I help you?" Taylor asked.

"Yes, I'm lookin for the man who's in charge of this unit."

"That would be Deputy Chief Johnson. Why do you need to see her?"

"Her? Would that Deputy Chief, by any chance, be a woman named Brenda Leigh Johnson? From Atlanta?"

"Yes. Are you a friend of hers?"

"Yes, you could say that. We go back a long way."

"In that case, right this way, sir. That's her office," Taylor pointed to the back of the Murder Room.

"I see her. Thanks," Ed smiled and walked back to Brenda's office as the squad watched intently.

Without taking his eyes off Brenda's office, Provenza said, "I don't think you should have done that."

To Be Continued...


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

Brenda was eating a jelly donut while reviewing the Topanga Division's report when her door swung open and Ed Harper sauntered in. The donut that she had been savoring suddenly turned to tasteless clay in her mouth and once again she was engulfed by the red hot lava of emotional turmoil from their disastrous marriage.

"I see you still have a thang for sweets. You haven't changed a bit. How are you, Brenda?"

Just hearing his smug, superior tone of voice had her struggling to quell long forgotten waves of anxiety. She quickly flipped the pages of her report up over Fritz's pictures on her desk. Angry that he had invaded the order in her life that she had fought so hard to achieve, Brenda swallowed hard and demanded, "What are you doin here, Ed?"

"Ahh, the same old charm. You really haven't changed, have you?" Ed said. "I came to reclaim my property and I was told I had to see you."

"Really. And who told you that?"

"It doesn't matter," Ed replied as he sat on the edge of her desk.

"Get off my desk. And we're not finished with your clubs. You'll get them back when our Forensics Lab is finished with them, provided the victim's DNA and blood aren't on them."

Ed rose from her desk and took a chair in front of her. "What if I were to tell you that I'm not leavin this office without them?"

"What if I were to tell you that I can call this whole buildin full of armed men to forcibly remove you from this office?" Brenda replied looking him right in the eyes.

Ed's attention shifted to her diamond and wedding band. "I see you've remarried. How many members of Los Angeles' finest, in 'this whole buildin', did you have to blow before you found one dumb enough to marry you?"

Brenda wanted to leap out of her chair and claw his eyes out but she knew she would probably lose her career. Besides, her blinds were open and she didn't want her squad to see her lose control. Instead, she picked up her phone and dialed Sanchez. When he answered, she asked, "Would you please see if Agent Howard is in the buildin and ask him to come to my office? Thank you."

"Who is Agent Howard? Another one of your fuckin minions?"

Brenda ignored his double entendre and replied, "Special Agent Howard is with the FBI. He is also investigatin this case and I believe he wants to talk to you."

"What about?" Ed was becoming even more surly.

"I'm sure you'll find that out from him," Brenda said coolly.

"Well, what if I don't want to talk to the FBI?" he challenged.

Before Brenda could answer, Fritz knocked on her door and entered.

"That was quick," Brenda said, surprised.

"I was in the hallway when Detective Sanchez told me that you wanted to see me."

"Yes, I did. Agent Howard, meet Edward Harper," she said, rising. "He's just dyin to talk to you. You can use one of our Interview Rooms." As she passed Fritz she mouthed, "Careful." And with that Brenda walked out of her office towards the Electronics Room. As she passed Sanchez she said, "Thank you."

Once both men were seated in the Interview Room, Fritz began. "Mr. Harper, as Chief Johnson told you, I am Special Agent Fritz Howard of the FBI," and he read him his rights.

"Am I suspected of wrong-doin, Agent Howard? Because if I'm not, I wish to leave," Ed replied.

"The answer to your question is that I don't know yet. I've got several questions regarding Mr. and Mrs. Bart Wellman's finances that I need to ask you about. And you may not leave until we're finished here. So let's get started, shall we?"

"What if I don't want to talk to you?"

"The law requires you to submit to my interview, Mr. Harper."

"Fine. Ask your questions, then," Ed replied in the surly tone Brenda knew all too well.

Brenda heard her squad enter the Electronics Room behind her. She ordered them out of the room and told them to follow up with the leads they already had. "Buzz, would you please cut off all the other monitors and give me some head phones?" she asked. Buzz nodded, flipped some switches, handed her the headphones, and plugged them in so only Brenda could hear the interview.

She held her breath hoping that Fritz wouldn't lose his self-control and that Ed wouldn't notice that Fritz's wedding band matched hers. _Thank goodness we got plain bands,_ Brenda thought as her personal concerns broke through her concentration on the interview. But Ed never noticed the wedding band similarity and Fritz was maintaining his self-control. Brenda felt her blood pressure lowering and the waves of anxiety receded as she thought, _In spite of your fixation on my private life, you have no powers of observation._

Fritz then hit Ed with a question that he knew would knock him off center. "You told the LAPD that you were the CEO of your company. Yet your title is Senior Securities Analyst. Can you explain this discrepancy?"

When he heard the question, Ed suddenly found his chair to be extremely uncomfortable. As he shifted his position he replied, "I said that I'm _about to be_ appointed CEO. I never said that I _am_ the CEO."

"We have you on tape, Mr. Harper. And I'd like to advise you that it's a crime to lie to the FBI. So let's just stick to the truth, shall we?"

Ed looked like he wanted to punch someone. "I just misspoke. Ok? Anyway, my job title doesn't have anythin to do with findin Bart's body, or my vacation."

"All right, Mr. Harper. Then let's move on." Fritz then asked about the Wellmans' investments and was told that they were all pretty much the standard products his company offered. Next Fritz asked for a history of the Wellmans' relationship with his company and Ed described signing Bart Wellman up for a package he was promoting at a financial seminar six years ago. A second portfolio in Sylvia Wellman's name was initiated by Bart about eight months later.

"I need to examine the Wellmans' portfolios and all the activities both Mr. and Mrs. Wellman had with your firm, Mr. Harper," Fritz stated.

"Suit yourself. I have nothin to hide. But, in order to cover me with my company, I'll need a warrant or a court order. So, if you don't have either one of those, I'm assumin this interview is over."

"Just as soon as you give me your company's fax number so I can send them the warrants," Fritz replied. As Ed wrote down the fax number for him, Fritz continued, "I believe the LAPD's investigation is still ongoing so you need to remain in Los Angeles."

"Oh, I'm not leavin without my golf clubs. I know what will happen if I do. Some flat foot here will decide they like them and they'll 'get lost' and I'll never see them again," Ed sneered.

Fritz ignored the dig at the LAPD and just said, "Thank you, Mr. Harper. In that case, if I need further clarification on any of this I'll contact you at your hotel. In the meantime we're finished here."

But Ed didn't rise to leave. Instead he said, "Now that I've answered your questions, I've got a few of my own."

"What do you want to know?"

_Here we go,_ Brenda thought, the tide of her anxiety rising once more.

"I don't know if you're aware, but I'm Brenda's ex-husband." Ed stated this with all the confidence that indicated this status gave him the right to personal information. "So, do you know who her present husband is?"

"Mr. Harper, that's personal and I don't disclose personal information."

"But surely you know." When Fritz didn't reply, Ed continued, "Ok, but let me tell you somethin. I know her better than you do and I can tell you that she probably banged everyone here to get her office, because that would certainly fit her MO."

Ed stopped for a second to appraise Fritz. "I'll bet she's even gone after you. But she's poison. If you get involved with her you'll regret it." Ed saw Fritz's expression and added hastily, "Oh, that's not a threat, Agent Howard. It's a prediction."

Fritz was furious. He wanted nothing more than to punch Ed Harper in the face, slam him up against the wall and demand to know what he had done to his wife. But he knew that others were probably in the Electronics Room and they couldn't know the answer to that question. Even so, it took every bit of his professional training to bite his tongue and acquiesce to his wife's wishes. So instead he replied, "I just told you that I do not discuss the personal lives of the people I work with. This interview is over so I suggest that you leave."

"All right, I'll leave. But let me warn you from experience. Don't trust her. She'll screw you six ways from Sunday in order to get what she wants. And I mean that in every way possible."

"Just leave, Mr. Harper." Fritz kept his tone even but his scowl let Ed know that the interview was, indeed, over so he left, with Fritz escorting him to the elevator.

Brenda met Fritz in the hall and they walked back toward her office. "He's good looking, rich, and has all the personality of a scorpion. I can't imagine why your marriage didn't work out," Fritz said sarcastically.

"I'd say you summed him up perfectly, with the possible exception of the rich part. Ed Harper is all about his image." She stopped and touched his arm. "Thank you for not losin your temper with him. I know that was hard."

Fritz put his arms around her, hugged her, and said, "I doubt it was as hard for me as it was for you."

She nodded, smiled and gave him a quick kiss goodbye. Then she returned to the Murder Room and said, "The FBI has given us the names of the people who complained about Bart and Sylvia Wellman's business practices so I want Detective Flynn to follow up with the ones here in California. And, Lieutenant, get the Nevada authorities to check out the ones who live there. Also, Lieutenant Provenza, I want you to organize interviews with every person employed by Wellman, both here and in Nevada. Thank you."

She then went back into the Electronics Room and asked Buzz, "May I please have the recordin of Agent Howard's interview?"

As he placed the DVD into a case, Buzz asked, "Should I make a copy of it first?"

"No, thank you, Buzz. This is the property of the FBI."

Gabriel entered the room and interrupted her saying, "Chief, Dr. Morales is ready for us."

"Ok, Sargent, let's go."

When Brenda and Gabriel opened the door to Dr. Morales' examination room he turned around and greeted them. "Kendall and I really want to thank you for giving us a victim in such disgusting condition."

"Well, when I catch the killer I'll be sure to pass on your special thanks, Doctor," Brenda replied. "Do you have a better time of death than Kendall was able to give me?"

"Unfortunately, no. But I can give you a cause of death. I found manure in his lungs so he definitely was buried alive. But he died of asphyxiation by a cocktail of methane, ammonia, and hydrogen sulfide gases. With a carbon dioxide chaser."

"All those? Are you sure?" Brenda asked.

"Yes. They're all byproducts of manure and highly toxic if inhaled over a period of time. The blow to the back of his head wouldn't have killed him, although it was strong enough to have rendered him unconscious for a good long while. Even though his grave wasn't a deep one, he was overcome by the gases when he came to and struggled to free himself. Someone apparently didn't have a high opinion of Mr. Wellman."

"Lieutenant Provenza came to that same conclusion," Gabriel said.

"Can you run whatever tests are necessary to confirm the cause of death?" Brenda asked.

"I've sent blood and tissue samples to the lab for analysis but you can take this one to the bank. Or should I say, across the finish line?"

"Thank you, Doctor."

When Brenda arrived back at the Murder Room she asked if anyone had any updates.

"Chief, Ed Harper's alibi checks out," Flynn said. "The bartender recognized his photo and said he was in the bar until after midnight. And the security cameras show him leaving the bar and going to his room. He was there all night."

"I just spoke to the Phoenix PD and they said that they received a 911 call from Mrs. Wellman's assistant, a woman named..." Sanchez flipped the pages of his notes, "Alicia Anderson, reporting that she returned to their hotel and found Mrs. Wellman dead from an apparent overdose of sleeping pills. Mrs. Wellman left a note but the only thing it said was that she was sorry."

"Thank you, Detective. I wonder if her 'suicide' was just a coincidence. Do we know what she was sorry about?"

"No, but the Phoenix PD said the note was definitely her handwriting."

"Maybe the assistant knows," Flynn suggested.

"She told the Phoenix PD that she had gone to the show grounds to feed the horses and to start the prep work for the next day's show. They checked her alibi and it was solid so they let her go. She told the detective that she was going to pick up the horses and drive back to LA. She should be here some time tonight."

"Thank you, Detective Sanchez. Please make sure that Ms. Anderson is picked up in the mornin. I really need to talk to her. How are we doin schedulin interviews with Wellman's employees?"

"Provenza and Tao are working on that now," Flynn replied.

"Thank you, Lieutenant. Please help them both out. I'd like to hear what they have to say," Brenda said.

"One more thing, Chief," Sanchez added, "Phoenix PD said the assistant took the news of both deaths very hard."

"Hard enough to make them suspicious that Ms. Anderson and Wellman were havin an affair?"

"If he suspected it, he didn't say anything," Sanchez replied.

Brenda's cell phone rang. It was Fritz so she walked back to her office to take his call. "Hi, honey, what's up?"

"I just called to tell you not to pick up anything for dinner. I'm cooking tonight."

"You are? Did you finish up early?"

"There's nothing left for me to do until tomorrow so I'm done for the day. And I figured, since you had such a terrible couple of days, that I'd cook dinner for you."

"Thank you, honey. That's so sweet of you. Do you need me to stop and pick up anythin on my way home?"

"No, I stopped at the grocery store and got everything I need. What time do you think you can leave?"

"I shouldn't be late. I won't be interviewin Mrs. Wellman's assistant until tomorrow mornin."

"Ok, I'll plan on having dinner on the table by 7:30."

"That should be perfect timin. I'll see you soon. Love you. Bye."

* * *

That evening, Fritz served Brenda a green salad, beef tips and mushrooms over noodles and explained, "The recipe called for Burgandy wine but I used some of your Merlot. I didn't think I needed to buy a bottle of wine that you don't drink."

"Mmm. It's delicious, Fritzi. Thank you for cookin this for me."

"Like I said earlier, you deserve a little pampering tonight. I'm glad you like it. And, I baked brownies for dessert. But they're from a mix."

"I love it. It's wonderful. And I'm lookin forward to the brownies. You're really doin this pamperin right," she smiled at him.

As they ate their brownies, Brenda asked Fritz about the Wellman's investments.

"Everything looks like it's on the up-and-up. They're in line with their legal income from the practice. And all the investments are standard, hedge fund offerings. Oh, there are a couple of off-shore accounts in order to avoid paying taxes, but they're all legal."

Then he changed the subject. "I've been thinking about your parents' visit. Your dad has been wanting to see the Maritime Museum in San Diego. What would you think about us driving down there and then maybe taking them sightseeing in Mexico?"

"They'd like that," Brenda replied.

They both began clearing the table. But Fritz could tell that she was distracted so he turned the discussion back to what he knew was bothering her. "You've never talked much about your first marriage. Is it still painful for you?" he asked gently.

"It wasn't painful until he showed up here spoutin all those disgustin lies about me," Brenda nodded.

"Now I think I understand why you were so fearful of a relationship with me, why you ran away every time I said we should live together. Your first marriage was an even bigger nightmare than I thought it was."

"It wasn't at first. He was as charmin and considerate as any woman could want. And I was really happy at the beginnin of our relationship. But after we got married he became so jealous and controllin that I couldn't stand it. Reportin me for sexual misconduct was just the last straw."

Fritz moved to her and folded her into his arms. "I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that."

"I never think about it anymore. You put that whole thang out of my mind," Brenda replied softly. "I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you."

"Ahh. My evil plot is working," he grinned as he held her.

Brenda pulled back just enough to look him in the eye. "Evil plot?"

"Yes. I plan to make you totally dependent on me. That way you can never leave me and we'll be together for the rest of our lives."

"Totally dependent on you?" Brenda raised an eyebrow at him.

"I like challenges in life," Fritz said with a wink and a smile.

"You must like impossible challenges," Brenda laughed as she left his arms, and they cleaned up the kitchen together. As they worked they talked about how they were going to spend a long Fourth of July weekend together in San Francisco.

_To Be Continued..._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

The next morning when Brenda entered the Murder Room, Sanchez greeted her saying that the Topanga Division was picking up Alicia Anderson and bringing her in.

"Thank you, Detective Sanchez. Lieutenant Tao, I'd like you to check the cell phone and the computers."

"I've been working on them, Chief," Tao replied. "I cracked the password on his laptop last night and I'm checking out his emails now."

Gabriel walked in and said, "Chief, the assistant is here and Provenza put her in Interview Room 1. He's Mirandizing her now."

"Thank you, Sargent. As soon as Buzz is ready to go let me know," she replied as she turned to walk into her office.

"Chief," Tao remembered, "I put my vacation request on your desk."

Brenda nodded and continued to the break room for a cup of coffee before going to her office. She sat down at her desk and approved Lt. Tao's vacation request, then entered it into her computer's master calendar. _There's a lot of useful stuff in this program,_ she thought. _Why can't I ever remember to check it?_ Since there was no word yet from Buzz she began back-entering all of her own information and hoped Will wouldn't realize that this was her first update in over three months.

As she was updating her calendar, Gabriel knocked on her door and said that Buzz was ready so they walked into the Interview Room.

"Good mornin, Ms. Anderson. I'm Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson."

"Good morning. The older man read me my rights. Do you think I had anything to do with Sylvia Wellman's death?"

"We Mirandize everyone we interview here. It's just one of those bureaucratic thangs that we do," Brenda smiled.

"Oh," Alicia said. "You scared me for a minute."

"I'm sorry about that. Let's get started, shall we?" When Alicia nodded Brenda continued, "How did you meet the Wellmans?"

"I was hired as an account clerk two years ago. I met Mrs. Wellman first. She was the head of the firm's accounting department."

"And Mr. Wellman?"

"He came into the accounting office one day to take his wife to lunch and Sylv... Mrs. Wellman introduced us."

"You started to call her by her first name. So you became close?"

"She talked about her horses all the time and I really like animals, so we talked a lot. And one day the friend who normally traveled with her to shows told her that she was moving so Mrs. Wellman asked me to travel with her."

During the interview Alicia said that after she and Mrs. Wellman had traveled to a few horse shows, Sylvia asked her to become her personal assistant. She said that her job involved such duties as making appointments, running errands, providing transportation as needed, and traveling with Mrs. Wellman to a large number of horse shows.

Alicia said that she had been born and raised in Minneapolis and had moved to California after completing a community college accounting course. When she arrived in Los Angeles she saw an ad for an account clerk position and got the job.

She also told Brenda that Mr. Wellman was often rude to employees, but never to his wife, so she never suspected problems in the Wellmans' marriage. She had only overheard them argue once. She believed it concerned an accounting error but since they stopped arguing as soon as she entered the room she couldn't be sure. She had no idea who would want to murder her boss.

After gathering that background information, Brenda asked, "The Phoenix Police Department said that Mrs. Wellman left a suicide note which only said two words: 'I'm sorry'. Do you know what she was sorry about?"

"It might have had something to do with the argument they had. She didn't say anything to me about it, though," Alicia said, her voice cracking as she wiped away tears.

"Did you have a relationship with Mr. Wellman outside of work?"

"You mean was I having an affair with him? No. I couldn't stand him. He was obnoxious. Besides, he really loved Sylvia. Everybody loved Sylvia," she added sadly.

Brenda obtained Alicia's permission to check her cell phone for texts which might help in the investigation so she took it to Lt. Tao.

"Lieutenant, when you're finished, Ms. Anderson is waitin for her phone in Interview Room 1."

"Sure, Chief," Tao replied without looking up.

Brenda turned to Provenza. "Lieutenant, how are you doin on the other employee interviews?"

"I've scheduled interviews with each of the LA employees starting after lunch," he replied. Then he saw Tao look up at him as though he was about to speak so he said, "We. We scheduled interviews," and shot Tao one of his infamous "so there" looks. "Here's the schedule. The Nevada locals are handling those employees."

She looked at the schedule and said, "Thank you, Lieutenant Provenza. I'd like both you and Lieutenant Flynn to interview them. And, Lieutenant Tao, when you're finished with the phones and computers please give them a hand. I'll observe from the Electronics Room. If I have any questions I'll join you. Thank you, gentlemen," Brenda said and walked back to her office.

After lunch, she was reviewing the case file when her phone rang. "Deputy Chief Johnson. Oh, he is, is he? No, have him wait there, please, officer." She then dialed Sanchez and asked him to come to her office. When he entered she said, "Detective, Mr. Harper is down in the lobby givin the security officer a hard time. Would you please check with SID about the status of his golf clubs? If they're finished with them, please see that he gets them. And if they're not, please go down to the lobby and escort Mr. Harper from the buildin. Thank you."

Sanchez returned in a few minutes. "Chief, SID wasn't finished yet so I went down to tell Mr. Harper and he didn't like it. He refused to leave so I had to unsnap my holster to get him to move."

"Really?" Brenda was surprised.

Sanchez nodded yes and then said, "One more thing, Chief. He had alcohol on his breath. I don't think he was drunk but I still had to threaten to arrest him in order to get him to leave."

"That's different. He was never much of a drinker. Thank you, Detective Sanchez."

Brenda then went into the Electronics Room and listened to the interviews. She heard the rest of the employees tell the same story that Alicia had. They all disliked Bart Wellman because of the way he treated them. But they all loved Sylvia and couldn't understand why she tolerated his superior attitude. None of them had ever seen the Wellmans fighting and only one knew about any accounting irregularities. When she heard that, Brenda entered the Interview Room and Lieutenant Provenza moved over as she introduced herself.

"Mrs. Brooks, in your years of employment in the accountin department, did you ever see any accountin irregularities?" she asked.

"Not until recently. But I noticed that a settlement check we issued didn't match up with what was owed to the client."

"Can you explain?"

"Well, once we deducted our fee, our disbursement to the client should have been a lot larger, given the amount of the settlement agreement. The client's share of the settlement should have been $100,000 more than it was. I double checked to make sure that we hadn't been shortchanged by the defendant. We hadn't, so I checked the books again and the ledger entry was off by $100,000."

"I see. When you noticed the short payment, what did you do?"

"First, I checked the other recent settlements and I found a second one which was off. And that one was off by over $200,000."

"What did you do then?"

"I told Mrs. Wellman, of course. I didn't want to be blamed for the error. You see, normally it was my job to make all the ledger entries but she made these two and she was the head of the Accounting Department."

"What was her reaction?"

"She expressed surprise but it seemed phony to me. So as soon as she left the office I called Mr. Wellman and told him about the two discrepancies."

"And how did he react?"

"He just said he'd look into them."

"When was that, Mrs. Brooks?"

"It must have been about two weeks ago. Since then I found out that the FBI was involved."

"How did you learn that the FBI was involved?"

"I tried to make a bank deposit and the bank manager told me that it was denied because the FBI had frozen all the accounts."

"Did you tell anyone what the bank manager told you?"

"No. Neither Mr. nor Mrs. Wellman was in the office that afternoon, and I would never tell anyone else."

Brenda changed the subject. "Did you ever see Mr. and Mrs. Wellman arguin?"

"No, never."

"Mrs. Brooks, do you know why anyone would kill Mr. Wellman?"

"No. He was a snob and he was insufferable, like he thought we were beneath him. But he paid us well. I don't know of anyone besides Sylvia who liked him. Everyone in my office liked working for her, though. And since we had almost no contact with him, it was actually a good place to work."

"Then, do you know of anyone who would have had a reason to kill him?"

"No. I didn't have contact with the clients and almost no contact with any of the attorneys. But I don't think it was anyone who works in the accounting department."

"Mrs. Brooks, did you ever get the sense that either Mr. or Mrs. Wellman was havin an affair?"

"I don't really know anything much about Mr. Wellman so I can't say, but Mrs. Wellman was crazy about her husband."

"Then do you know why she would kill herself?"

"No. She was always happy and upbeat with us," Mrs. Brooks replied.

"She left a suicide note which said that she was sorry. Do you have any idea what she was sorry about?"

"No. I don't know. The only thing I could imagine would be those two ledger entries but those were both correctable errors so none of this makes any sense to me at all."

"Well, that's all, Mrs. Brooks. Thank you for your help."

When Brenda walked back into the Murder Room, Tao looked up and said, "Chief, there was nothing out of the ordinary in Alicia's text messages but I found something you should see. It's a text message that Mr. Wellman received from his wife. It looks like it was sent from Phoenix on Friday night."

She took the phone from him and read, "Pls make time for A Monday PM. Needs to talk to U. Important." She looked through other text messages to Mr. Wellman but didn't find anything else out of the ordinary. "The 'A' must be Alicia and if the timeline of the message played out, they would have been together on Monday, just a few hours before Bart Wellman probably died. Alicia didn't mention this. I'll need to interview her again. Lieutenant Flynn, please see if you can find her."

"But wasn't Alicia in Phoenix when Wellman was killed?" Flynn asked.

"It's only about a five hour drive, Lieutenant. She could have driven back to LA to meet with him and then returned to Phoenix," she replied.

Brenda was in her office finishing up her calendar entries when Flynn knocked on her door. "Alicia Anderson isn't at home and the Wellman's housekeeper hasn't seen her either," he reported. "The housekeeper said that she hasn't seen her since she saw her drive the truck hauling the horses down to the barn. But Alicia never came up to the house. And apparently no one saw her leave. She drives a red Ford Explorer but the housekeeper doesn't know the plate number."

"Well, she's now my only suspect so please get the vehicle information and issue a BOLO for her. And I think that the fact that she was probably the last person to see Mr. Wellman alive, combined with the fact that she discovered the body of Mrs. Wellman, gets us a search warrant of her home."

"What, specifically, are we looking for?"

"Bloody clothes, diaries, appointment books, papers, bank statements, computers, anythin that might be related to the Wellmans. Also, she said she was from Minneapolis. Ask Detective Sanchez to contact the police there and see if they know anythin about her. Thank you."

* * *

That evening Fritz told Brenda that her mother had called again. "When I told her you weren't home yet, she began grilling me about our holiday plans."

"What did you tell her?"

"I just said that holidays were always busy times for law enforcement in California. So now I'm lying to your mother too."

"You didn't lie. Holidays are busy times and…"

"But my intent was to cover for you so I couldn't tell her the truth. Look, Brenda. I don't want to lie to your mother. You've got to start being more honest with her so I'm not caught in the middle."

"I couldn't tell her we already had plans," Brenda said.

"Why not? She would have understood."

"No. She would have made plans to join us. And I want alone time with you. I love them, but they're always tryin to insert themselves into my life."

"Your parents aren't trying to insert themselves into our lives, Brenda. They just want their rightful place. There's a difference."

"Well, I can't handle it right now. You know how both Mama and Daddy want everythin their way."

"Then you should have told her that we're both tired and stressed and that we need a few days away by ourselves. Willie Ray would have accepted that. I'm sure that after 50 years of marriage she knows by now that busy married people need time together."

Brenda didn't want to admit that he had a point so she changed the subject and told him about Ed's belligerence at the security desk. "He never had a drinkin problem when we were together, but Sanchez said he smelled alcohol on his breath."

"Do you think he could be dangerous?" Fritz was still concerned.

"I can't imagine him bein dangerous. Maybe it's just that he discovered the body. The sight of his friend's body in a manure pile had to be traumatic. Even Provenza was grossed out."

"I certainly can't blame him for that. I would be grossed out too," Fritz said.

"Believe me. I just want SID to finish up those clubs so he can leave. I wouldn't feel bad if I _never_ saw Ed Harper again," Brenda said emphatically. Then she turned to face him, smiled, and her tone turned soft and warm. "On the other hand," she said softly as she kissed Fritz and unbuttoned his shirt, "I'd like to see a lot more of you."

"Funny. I was just thinking the same thing," he replied as he picked her up and set her on the dining room table and began unbuttoning her blouse.

_To Be Continued…_

**A/N: Unfortunately, Brenda is not finished with her ex-husband just yet. Stay tuned…**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

When Brenda walked into the Murder Room the next morning, Det. Sanchez greeted her, "Good morning, Chief. I contacted the Minneapolis PD and they said that Alicia Anderson has no criminal record. They referred me to Children's Services. Apparently she grew up in several foster homes there and one of her foster parents was arrested and charged with abusing her. She had some really bad cuts and bruises and a broken arm." As he handed Brenda some faxed photographs, he continued, "When she aged out of the foster care system she attended a community college before moving to LA."

"Someone really worked that poor kid over. Her face is so messed up and swollen that I would never recognize her," Brenda said as she handed the photos back to Det. Sanchez.

Lt. Tao reported, "We searched her apartment last night and found a tee shirt with blood spatter on it out in the dumpster behind her building. The lab is analyzing the blood now. Also, I'm looking at her computer and it looks like she used a genealogical website. The site is discretely cooperating and they let me into her account. I guessed that she's been looking for her family since she grew up in foster care so I tracked her personal search files. And look what I found." Brenda looked at the screen and asked Lt. Tao to print the document for her.

"Provenza called," Flynn reported, "And he's bringing Alicia Anderson back in for questioning now."

"Thank you, gentlemen. And would someone please talk to SID and get them to hurry up on those golf clubs?" Brenda asked while picking up the document from the printer and walked back to her office to answer her ringing phone.

"Hi, Beautiful," Fritz said putting a smile on Brenda's face. "Would you like to know what my forensic accountants have found?"

"If it concerns my personal checkbook, no. But if it concerns the Wellmans' finances, yes," Brenda replied, still smiling.

"Your checkbook is beyond their realm of knowledge so you're safe," he chuckled. "But I'm talking about the Wellmans' business and personal dealings. It seems that there was trouble in paradise."

"What sort of trouble?"

"Apparently Mrs. Wellman was skimming money from the largest settlements and using it to support her lavish shopping and horse activities."

"Was Bart Wellman involved?"

"It doesn't look like he knew anything about it until just recently."

"That could be the argument that Alicia Anderson walked in on," Brenda said.

"Last week Bart tried to cash in a CD and withdraw $300,000. Apparently he intended to send bank checks to the two most recent victims of Sylvia's skimming but the accounts were all frozen. And it seems they were already scheduled for a routine audit. The auditors were supposed to start next Monday morning. So it seems likely that Wellman wanted to correct the short payment before they arrived."

"Those two clients must be the same ones that Mrs. Brooks mentioned. But didn't the Wellmans know about the Bureau's involvement?"

"Bart Wellman found out about it when he tried to withdraw the money. That was the day before Sylvia left for Phoenix."

"I'll bet all hell broke out at their house that night. A good motive for murder," Brenda commented.

"And it might explain Sylvia's suicide and her brief note," Fritz added.

"Thank you, Fritzi. I've got Alicia Anderson on her way in. I'll let you know if I learn anythin else," Brenda said and ended the phone call.

As soon as she hung up, her phone rang again. Sanchez reported, "Chief, I talked to SID and they're finished with Ed Harper's golf clubs. They didn't find any blood or manure on them, just microscopic traces of dirt and grass residue. I guess he keeps them pretty clean."

"I'm sure he does. Thank you, Detective Sanchez. Would you please see that Mr. Harper's clubs are returned to him as soon as possible? I don't need any more grief from him."

"He's here now, Chief, and he's walking back to your office."

Brenda started to ask Sanchez to stop him when her office door swung open and Ed Harper sauntered in. "Thank you, Detective. Would you please join us?"

"Hello, Brenda. You're lookin happy this mornin," Ed smiled at her.

"That's because I have good news for you. SID is finished with your golf clubs and no evidence was found on them," she replied as Det. Sanchez entered the office. "So you can have them back and you're free to leave Los Angeles."

"What if I'm not ready to leave yet? I'd like to meet your current husband. I feel I owe it to him to give him the benefit of my experience with you. You know, strikin a blow for husbands everywhere," Ed sneered.

She looked at him with the same disgust she would normally reserve for a cockroach. "Now you listen to me, Ed Harper. You're in the clear. You've apparently broken no laws except the laws of civility and good manners. So Detective Sanchez here is gonna assist you in reclaimin your golf clubs and will escort you back to your hotel. And if you attempt to contact me or any member of my family again I will have you arrested for stalkin. Do I make myself clear?"

Ed clenched his teeth but said nothing.

"I said, do I make myself clear?" Brenda repeated in an even harder tone.

"Perfectly, you goddam bitch!" Ed replied through his still-clenched teeth.

"Come on," Det. Sanchez said, grabbing his arm and yanking him toward the door, "You've worn out your welcome, so let's go."

After they left her office Brenda sank into her chair, exhaled and rubbed her forehead. But she had no time to catch her breath or for the knot in her stomach to relax before Will walked in.

"Yes, Will?"

"Brenda, how are you coming with the Bart Wellman investigation? I've got reporters hounding me."

"I'm gonna be interviewin my main suspect in a few minutes. I'm hopin to wind it up soon."

"Well, hurry it up. Would you please? I don't want the Mayor and the Police Commissioner on my back too," he barked.

"Of course. It wouldn't do for you to be inconvenienced at all," she replied sarcastically.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that we're workin as hard as we can to solve this crime," she snapped at him. "It means that I can't let politics dictate how I proceed or how fast. Now, if there's nothin else, I need to prepare for this interview."

"No, nothing else." Will retreated to safety wondering what that exchange had been all about.

As she watched him go she wondered how she could have picked three so dissimilar men. _How did I ever do that?_ she asked herself.

She sank back into her chair and thought about the unhappiness Ed Harper's reappearance had brought into her life and a deliciously devious idea took root and blossomed in her mind. She looked up Ed's company's website and clicked on the "Contact Us" link. Then she found the corporate headquarters' number and dialed.

"Hello, this is Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson of the Los Angeles Police Department's Major Crimes Division and I'd like to speak to someone in the CEO's office. Thank you so much." When the secretary answered, Brenda reintroduced herself and explained, "I'm investigatin a murder involvin a man who stated that he is the CEO of your firm, an Edward Harper."

"No, he's not the CEO. He's a Senior Securities Analyst."

"In that case, may I please speak with the CEO?"

"That would be Harlan Powell. Please hold," the secretary responded. After she spent a few minutes with Mozart, Mr. Powell came on the line.

Brenda introduced herself for the third time and continued, "I'm sorry to bother you, sir, but I need to clear up an inconsistency concernin a man named Edward Harper. He's involved in a murder we're investigatin, and he told us that he's the CEO of your firm."

"No, he's most definitely not the CEO. He is a Senior Securities Analyst. Apparently you're the second LAPD officer to whom Mr. Harper made that statement. Also, I'm aware of the murder since we received a warrant from the FBI concerning the portfolios of Bart and Sylvia Wellman. May I ask how Mr. Harper is involved?"

"Since the investigation is ongoin I'm not at liberty to say, Mr. Powell. But why do you think Mr. Harper would try to pass himself off as the CEO of your firm?" Brenda asked, with honey dripping from every syllable.

"I don't know, but I can assure you that is the first thing that I will ask him when he returns to the office," Mr. Powell replied with anger in his voice.

"Well, thank you so much for your help, sir. I'm sorry to have bothered you, but it's important that we learn the truth when investigatin a murder."

"It's no bother at all, Deputy Chief Johnson. Since my company's reputation depends on the honesty and integrity of my staff, I'm glad to know when one of my employees apparently is not maintaining our standards of ethical conduct."

"Rest assured I understand how important maintainin high standards of honesty and ethical conduct is to your business. After all, if investors can't trust your employees to be honest, I know that they would have no trouble findin another investment firm to handle their money."

"Exactly."

"Well, thank you again, Mr. Powell," Brenda purred and ended the call. She sat there for a moment with a satisfied smile on her face. _ Ed Harper, you asshole. If you fuck with me I'll fight your lies with my truth, and I'll win every time._

She savored her revenge for a moment. Then, since she saw Provenza return, she walked out into the Murder Room.

"Chief, she's been reminded of her rights and she's waiting in Interview Room 2. She knows we searched her place and she's extremely nervous."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. Lieutenant Tao, may I have the crime scene photographs, please?" As she put the photos into her purse she continued, "Sargent Gabriel, let's go."

When they entered the Interview Room, Alicia asked, "Why did I have to come back here? I already told you everything I know."

"Not everythin, Ms. Anderson. For instance, where were you the afternoon and night that Bart Wellman was murdered?"

"I already told you. I was in Phoenix working at a horse show."

"None of the Wellmans' horses were entered in a show that day," Brenda countered.

"I was helping some friends of the Wellmans. One of their horses had thrown a shoe and they needed help grooming the other animals while they took that mare to the farrier."

"All right. Give me the names of these friends and Sargent Gabriel will confirm that right now."

On cue, David withdrew his phone from his pocket and held it expectantly.

"No. I didn't want to tell you this but Sylvia sent me back to LA that morning."

"Why did she do that?"

"She forgot a pair of boots that she wanted to wear for the next day's show."

"Ok, Sargent Gabriel, please call the housekeeper right now and…"

"She wasn't there. She had taken the day off," Alicia said.

Brenda countered, "The housekeeper told us she was in the house workin all day. Look, Alicia, if you're gonna lie to us, this isn't gonna go well for you at all. You need to stop lyin and start tellin us the truth."

"I'm not lying. Sylvia did send me back to LA."

"Again, why did she do that?"

Alicia sighed and admitted, "She wanted me to talk to her husband."

"About what?" When Alicia hung her head and didn't answer, Brenda asked, "Did it have somethin to do with the fact that you grew up in foster care? It must have been rough growin up without a family of your own." Brenda's tone had turned sympathetic.

Alicia looked up in surprise, "It was. The foster homes were ok. Well, some of them were. But none of them was _my_ home, _my_ family. I always wondered why everyone else in school had parents and I didn't."

"That had to be terribly lonely for you," Brenda said softly.

Alicia nodded, "Holidays were the roughest. Oh, I always got presents at Christmas and birthdays but they were never as nice as the foster parents' own kids got. And every time I did something wrong I would be moved. As soon as I saw the black trash bags come out I knew I was moving to a new foster home. Every time I moved I lost my school and all my friends. I even lost my dog, and he was the only thing I had that loved me back," she said bitterly.

"So when you finally got out on your own you decided to search for your family?"

"Yes. I had some memories of people and places. And different foster parents and caseworkers had told me small things. It wasn't much to go on but I searched the library for records and went online and was able to put the pieces together."

"Is that why you moved to Los Angeles and got the job with the Wellman firm? Because of all those searches?"

Alicia nodded yes and Brenda pulled out the printout of the Family Tree that Tao had found on the website and placed it in front of her.

When Alicia saw it she was silent for a moment, then she spoke very softly. "I discovered that my mother died of an overdose when I was eleven. And she was living only about three blocks away from me. She never tried to contact me, even once." Alicia paused for a moment as if trying to absorb the greater truth of what she'd just said. Then she continued, "Bart Wellman was my biological father. When I learned that, I moved to LA and got the job so I could learn more about him first. But I was too afraid to tell him, so I finally told Sylvia in the car on the way to Phoenix, instead."

"Didn't she take it well?" Gabriel asked.

"Yes, she did. She was happy and actually hugged me. And she said that if she'd had a daughter she would have wanted her to be just like me." Alicia was smiling through tears.

"Havin your stepmother accept you so readily must have made you feel good. It must have been such a relief," Brenda said.

"You have no idea. I was so afraid that she would toss me out. That's why I told her in the car. I figured she couldn't do anything while we were traveling down the road at 70 miles per hour."

"What happened when you got back to LA?"

"I saw his truck parked near the barns so I parked beside it and went in to find him. He was in a terrible mood. Maybe it wasn't a good time, but it was never a good time with him, so I just went ahead and told him."

"So he wasn't as accepting?" David asked.

Alicia started to cry and dropped her head.

Brenda softly encouraged her. "Go on, Alicia. I know this is hard, but we need to hear the whole story."

"He just laughed at me and said that no little bastard showing up on his doorstep was going to cash in at his expense." Alicia spoke haltingly, her body racked with sobs.

Brenda moved around to her side of the table and put her arm around Alicia's shoulder as she handed her a tissue. "Take a minute to compose yourself," she told her.

After a minute of gulping for air Alicia continued, "I told him that I wasn't trying to cash in but he didn't believe me. He said that he would never have a nothing daughter like me and that I'd never get a dime from him. Then he said that I was nothing but a piece of shit trying to get his money. Then he fired me and turned to walk away. It made me so mad. I picked up a shovel and hit him in the back of the head."

"Why did you drag him out to the manure pile?" Brenda asked softly, still with her arm around Alicia's shoulder. With her other hand she withdrew the crime scene photos from her purse and placed them in front of her.

Alicia looked at the photos and then at Brenda and said, "Because I knew he was dead so I dragged him out to the manure pile."

Gabriel interrupted, "But he…" Brenda cut him off with a wave of her hand.

"I thought that, after all I'd been through, after what he'd called me, that the manure pile was the proper burial place for him. But you have to believe me. I never intended to kill him. I don't know what happened. He just made me so furious that I couldn't think straight. I tried to explain that I didn't want his money. I just wanted a family. _My_ family," she sobbed. "I tried to explain how much having a family meant to me. But he called me a worthless piece of shit. And then I drove back to Phoenix that night. And the next day when I got back from the show grounds I found Sylvia's body." Alicia looked at Brenda and continued, "I didn't kill Sylvia. She really cared about me. But she committed suicide."

"Because she took money from clients?" Brenda asked.

"I think so. I think that's what she and Mr. Wellman were arguing about. You have to believe me. I didn't have anything to do with taking any money and I never wanted to hurt anybody, especially not Sylvia. She was the only person in the world who ever cared about me." Alicia was pleading with Brenda.

"I understand," Brenda said, "And I'm terribly sorry to tell you that you're under arrest for the murder of Bart Wellman."

"It doesn't matter. I have nowhere to go. There's no one left," Alicia said dully.

Brenda looked at Gabriel and said, "Sargent."

Gabriel nodded, stood up and released his handcuffs as Brenda softly told him, "Suicide watch."

As she walked into the Murder Room, her detectives were coming back from the Electronics Room. All of them looked emotionally drained. Provenza saw her expression and spoke for them all, "Chief, we all know from experience that families often don't live up to expectations. But we have to do the best with the hand we're dealt."

"I know, Lieutenant," Brenda nodded. "We're all responsible for our choices in life. It's just that some people don't have much of a chance to make good choices." She turned and walked back to her office.

* * *

Brenda was uncharacteristically quiet during dinner so Fritz asked, "Honey, is something wrong?"

"I just had a bad day, is all."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Brenda told him about her interview with Alicia and then said, "This whole case has been emotionally exhaustin. But it also made me so glad that I have the family that I have."

"Does that mean that you've changed your mind about letting your parents come when they want to?"

She reached across the table and took his hand. "No. But it does mean that I love you more tonight than I did this mornin."

Fritz smiled and kissed her hand.

She smiled back at him and said, "And it means that I'm gonna call Mama and Daddy and explain that we won't be home over the Fourth because we need some time to ourselves. But that we really do want to see them so we hope that they can come in August." When she saw Fritz smile again, she continued. "Can you take more than just a couple of days off from work? I'd like more alone time with you than just a weekend. It's gonna take more than a couple of days for me to properly thank you for bein the man that you are."

He didn't reply. He just kissed her hand once more.

"And, on a happier note, Ed Harper is finally gone."

"Did you have to deal with him again?"

"He gave me a little more grief." Brenda saw Fritz's angry expression and added, "But he got his precious golf clubs back so he's gone. I'm sure we've seen the last of Ed Harper."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. But, I have to admit that I wish I could have taught him a lesson."

"Oh, don't worry about him. Karma has a way of catchin up with people. Ed Harper will get his, I'm sure," Brenda said and took a most satisfying sip of her wine.

_The End_

**A/N: And now please, please, please review. Thank you.**


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